Saurabh Dubey’s story is the kind that cricket fans love — a tall left-arm quick from a small city, playing tennis ball cricket as a kid, nearly lost to injury once before, and now walking into a KKR dressing room that has been without him for years but not without needing someone exactly like him.

From Tennis Ball to KKR’s Main Squad

Growing up in Wardha, Vidarbha, Dubey’s cricket journey did not begin on a proper ground with leather balls. He first played tennis ball cricket before his elder brother Gaurav pushed him to make the switch to leather ball in 2016.

“My journey started with tennis ball and my elder brother Gaurav was the main reason behind me going from tennis to leather ball bowling. Many people in Vidarbha know that my journey started with tennis ball.”

A local tournament in Wardha changed everything. Coach Ravi Lunga spotted the tall teenager — he is 6 feet 5 inches — and sent videos of him to Prashant Vaidya, the VCA Chairman. Vaidya directed him to Nagpur, where former India pacer Subroto Banerjee saw him bowl and immediately enrolled him in Vidarbha’s residential cricket academy.

From there, Dubey worked his way up through Vidarbha’s domestic ranks, became the leading wicket-taker for the team in the 2020-21 Vijay Hazare Trophy with nine wickets in five matches, and represented India A at the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup under current batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.

A First IPL Contract, and Then a Back Injury

The cricket world first took notice of Dubey when a strong showing in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earned him a contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2022. But before he could make his debut, a back injury shut the door on him. He did not get to bowl a single ball in the IPL.

There is a painful irony here. He now replaces Akash Deep, who was ruled out of IPL 2026 by the same type of injury — a stress reaction in the lower back — expected to keep him out for eight to twelve weeks. A BCCI source confirmed the extent of the setback:

“Akash Deep has had stress reaction on his lower back. There has been recurrence and it might take 8-12 weeks to heal. He is not going to play the IPL.”

Net Bowler to First-Team Member in Days

What makes Dubey’s IPL 2026 call-up particularly special is the manner in which it happened. He came to KKR’s camp not as a signed player but as a net bowler — someone there to help the main squad prepare.

He bowled in KKR’s pre-season camp in Mumbai, then more extensively in practice sessions in Kolkata — one intra-squad match and two full net sessions. The team liked what they saw and on a Saturday evening, Dubey got the call that changed everything.

“I came here as a net bowler. After that, I got to know late on Saturday that they have chosen me as a replacement for Akash Deep. I have been waiting for this chance for a long time. So, it feels really good.”

The 28-year-old was unsold at last year’s IPL mini-auction in Abu Dhabi. The gap from “unsold” to “called up mid-week” is a sharp one.

A Struggling KKR Pace Unit Needed Him

KKR are heading into IPL 2026 with serious bowling concerns. Matheesha Pathirana, their most expensive overseas buy at Rs 18 crore, is unavailable until mid-April due to a calf strain. Harshit Rana is also injured. That has left KKR scrambling for pace options, and Dubey — tall, left-arm, capable of bowling with bounce and swing — fits the gap well on paper.

“Previously I bowled in their pre-season camp in Mumbai for two days. Then I got to bowl more in practice sessions — one intra-squad match and two net sessions. They saw what I did and decided to rope me in.”

Dubey knows this may be his last clear shot at the big stage. He is ready for it.

“Yes, now it will get better. Hopefully I will perform to the best of my abilities and this is what I want to do for the rest of the season.”